How can we prepare students for their future and not our past? At Presbyterian Day School, we're not just asking that question, we're working on answering it by leading the way with an innovative approach to elementary education.
What does the future of K-12 education look like? How can we prepare students for their future and not our past?
At Presbyterian Day School, we're not just asking that question, we're working on answering it by leading the way with an innovative approach to elementary education.
Our mission statement is the same as it was in 1949:
Presbyterian Day School strives to glorify God by developing boys in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man
Our mission statement is the same as it was in 1949:
Presbyterian Day School strives to glorify God by developing boys in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man
At Presbyterian Day School, we know how to teach boys, reach them, and channel their energies in positive and productive ways.
At Presbyterian Day School, we know how to teach boys, reach them, and channel their energies in positive and productive ways.
PDS is a school of tomorrow for the world of tomorrow. Our curriculum focuses on critical and creative thinking, connecting ideas and collaboration. It is both challenging and current...and engaging and exciting to boys.
PDS is a school of tomorrow for the world of tomorrow. Our curriculum focuses on critical and creative thinking, connecting ideas and collaboration. It is both challenging and current...and engaging and exciting to boys.
Whether they are learning to draw, play an instrument, or shoot a basketball, boys love the hands-on, active, creative approach that we offer at PDS.
Whether they are learning to draw, play an instrument, or shoot a basketball, boys love the hands-on, active, creative approach that we offer at PDS.
January 27, 2021
Case in Elementary Division
Once diagnosed as positive, you must "isolate" for 10 days and must be symptom-free and fever-free for 24 hours before you can return to school, work, etc. Isolation will continue until this 24-hour span is achieved. Isolated people should not be around anyone and should stay home to decrease transmission of the virus.
If you have been within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more of someone who tests positive, you are a close contact and are exposed to the virus. The CDC also includes the following instances as close contacts:
If you are a close contact, you must quarantine using one of the following options:
It takes multiple days after the virus enters your body to build up enough viral particles to test positive.
If you break quarantine by going out in public when you should be at home, you risk exposing other people to the virus. This is especially true for young children as they are more likely to be asymptomatic with COVID-19 than adults, thus appearing normal but carrying the virus. This is why it is critically important that they not have playdates with other children during this time.
Here is an example of when a prolonged quarantine is appropriate. Mom tests positive on November 1, and dad and son are negative. Dad and son cannot completely separate from mom at home. Because of this, dad and son must complete mom's 10-day isolation and then begin their quarantine according to the specifications of quarantine listed above, because mom can infect them even on her 10th day of isolation. If anyone tests positive during the long quarantine, they begin their own 10-day isolation period. When it's complete, they are finished and considered immune for some length of time.
It is incumbent on all of us to follow the rules of isolation and quarantine that are the standard designated by the CDC, TN Department of Health, and the Shelby County Health Department. PDS follows these rules closely in order to protect our entire community of students and their families and our faculty and staff. Please help us stay safe.
An exposure is close contact with a COVID-19 positive person. Close contact is considered within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more with or without a mask. The CDC also includes the following instances as close contacts:
The child will enter the quarantine room in the nurse’s office and an emergency contact will be called for him to be picked up within an hour. The quarantine room has a back exit and will have a quick exit to the outside. All symptomatic children need to be examined by their doctor, who will clinically assess as well as test for multiple conditions (flu, strep, RSV, etc). Depending on test results, the doctor may prescribe treatment or refer for COVID-19 testing. It is important to remember that children are much more likely to have a common cold than COVID-19.
The Tennessee Department of Health suggests the following symptoms are potentially COVID-19 symptoms and should apply to anyone attending or working in a school (i.e. children and adults in schools):
If the child with COVID-19 symptoms has a sibling at school, the sibling will be sent home at that time.
You should immediately contact PDS school nurse, Alice Ball, to inform PDS of the positive test results.
The child will be isolated for a minimum of 10 days from the first sign of symptoms, and he must be symptom and fever free for at least 24 hours without medicine before returning to school. Any child returning to school from isolation must coordinate with Alice Ball. No negative test is required to return to school.
If a student has a positive test but is asymptomatic, then the 10 day isolation begins from the date of testing.
Any siblings should quarantine using the following guidelines:
If the positive child cannot totally isolate from his siblings, then the sibling’s quarantine will be longer. Contact Alice Ball for clarification and to coordinate the siblings return to school.
Distance learning for your child will begin and continue through the end of the isolation.
The child’s homeroom cohort and the homeroom teacher will quarantine during Tier 1.
PDS will identify and contact those who have been within 6 feet of the child for 15 minutes or more at any time within 48 hours prior to the student’s onset of symptoms until he has left the school property. Other CDC guidelines for close contacts may also be considered such as the following:
Those students will be required to quarantine from their last exposure. Quarantine options are as follows:
For all of these options, the student must be symptom-free for all of the quarantine period to return. If symptoms develop, the student should be tested. If positive, the student enters isolation for 10 days. The student may return to school after 10 days and once he is fever and symptom free for 24 hours. For classroom quarantine purposes, please report positive tests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Distance learning for that cohort will begin and continue through the end of the quarantine.
PDS will identify and contact those who have been within 6 feet of the child for 15 minutes or more at any time within 48 hours prior to the student’s onset of symptoms until the student has left the school property. Other CDC guidelines for close contacts may also be considered such as the following:
Those students will be required to quarantine as follows:
For all of these options, the student must be symptom-free for all of the quarantine period to return. If symptoms develop, the student should be tested. If positive, the student enters isolation for 10 days. The student may return to school after 10 days and once he is fever and symptom free for 24 hours. For classroom quarantine purposes, please report positive tests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you are not contacted, your son was not exposed to the COVID-19 student.
The teacher’s homeroom cohort will quarantine as follows:
For all of these options, the student must be symptom-free for all of the quarantine period to return. If symptoms develop, the student should be tested. If positive, the student enters isolation for 10 days. The student may return to school after 10 days and once he is fever and symptom free for 24 hours. For classroom quarantine purposes, please report positive tests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
PDS will also identify and contact those who have been within 6 feet of the teacher for 15 minutes or more at any time within 48 hours prior to the teacher’s onset of symptoms until he or she has left the school property. Other CDC guidelines for close contacts may also be considered such as the following:
Anyone with exposure will be required to quarantine as follows:
For all of these options, the student must be symptom-free for all of the quarantine period to return. If symptoms develop, the student should be tested. If positive, the student enters isolation for 10 days. The student may return to school after 10 days and once he is fever and symptom free for 24 hours. For classroom quarantine purposes, please report positive tests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Distance learning for that cohort will begin and continue through the end of the quarantine.
PDS will identify and contact those who have been within 6 feet of the teacher for 15 minutes or more at any time within 48 hours prior to the individual’s onset of symptoms until the individual has left school property. Other CDC guidelines for close contacts may also be considered such as the following:
Those individuals will be required to self-quarantine as follows:
For all of these options, the student must be symptom-free for all of the quarantine period to return. If symptoms develop, the student should be tested. If positive, the student enters isolation for 10 days. The student may return to school after 10 days and once he is fever and symptom free for 24 hours. For classroom quarantine purposes, please report positive tests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you are not contacted, your son was not exposed to the COVID-19 faculty or staff member.
Distance learning for those exposed will begin and continue through the end of the quarantine.
We will notify the families within the cohort and anyone else who was within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more (as well as other CDC considerations) with the positive case. The positive case will not be identified by name. Alice Ball will notify the Shelby County Health Department of all positive cases per their protocol.
If you hear there has been a positive case at school and you have not been notified, your son was not exposed.
You should keep your child home from school while awaiting test results from anyone within the household. If the test is negative, the student can return to school. If the test is positive, the student should quarantine from the last day he was exposed to the positive family member. If an additional family member gets sick with COVID-19, all negative family members must restart their quarantines. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for clarification. Quarantine guidelines are as follows:
For all of these options, the student must be symptom-free for all of the quarantine period to return. If symptoms develop, the student should be tested. If positive, the student enters isolation for 10 days. The student may return to school after 10 days and once he is fever and symptom free for 24 hours. For classroom quarantine purposes, please report positive tests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
All positive tests within a PDS household should notify Alice Ball before coming to school so we can ensure there was no on-campus exposure.
Distance learning for the child will begin and continue through the end of the quarantine.
In the event that an early childhood student requires distance learning, we will engage in age appropriate instruction required to meet instructional expectations. Every effort will be made to address the need to stay connected with classmates and teachers through Zoom activities as well as activities that will be completed through SeeSaw.
If an elementary student requires distance learning, we will engage the student in a combination of real-time (synchronous) learning experiences and some asynchronous assignments. As much as possible, a student’s day at home will mimic the on-campus class schedule. Students will use Zoom to be an active part of the classroom while receiving instruction from the classroom teacher and completing work simultaneously with on-campus students.
This model not only allows students the opportunity to continue sharing in classroom discussions but also provides an avenue for student collaboration. Specific grade-level plans will be shared during our Back-to-School Zoom Meetings. (Information about Back to School meetings will be sent in a separate communication.)
PDS Community,
I hope you and your family are having a wonderful holiday season and will have a very Happy New Year.
We are looking forward to having our students back on campus on Monday, January 4, 2021. If your son is not feeling well or if he was exposed to COVID-19 during the holidays, please keep him home and see your pediatrician and/or have him tested for COVID-19. Also, remember that even minor cold symptoms can indicate a COVID-19 infection.
Dear Parents,
The PDS Athletic Department has been preparing for our upcoming Intramural Basketball season with games beginning the week of January 4th. We have established guidelines for the boys and spectators. By attending games it is understood that all spectators entering the building have answered ‘no’ to the following questions and adhere to the guidelines listed below.
The CDC, Tennessee Department of Health, and Shelby County Health Department have added quarantine options after close contact with someone with COVID-19.
Because COVID-19 symptoms are so varied and some appear like normal allergies or colds, we want you to have this Public Health COVID-19 Return to School Decision Support Algorithm from the Tennessee Department of Health.
Parents, please note the following update to our mask policy regarding using gaiter masks:
While we understand that there are challenges to wearing masks, we will require students to wear one to school each day. Use of masks throughout the school day will vary by grade level and circumstances while in the classrooms. Masks are an important mitigation strategy for use in the halls and other times where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
The mask should be multi-layered, fit well, and stay in place. Valve masks should not be used, and we do not recommend gaiters as most are single layer. Student masks may be solid, patterned, or your favorite team logo. Masks may not be printed with slogans.
The PDS Family Emergency Fund has been established to provide emergency relief to families who have been affected by the coronavirus.
Families who have experienced the following situation due to COVID-19 should consider applying for funds:
PDS is actively planning to begin school in the fall.
The leadership team of PDS has remobilized into planning teams. The teams, listed below, meet weekly and have a total membership of over 30 people split into 6 teams. The chair of each team will report to the Leadership Team each week during June.
Dear Parents,
We are preparing for the close of the school year. As you know, instruction will continue through Thursday. We hope to see as many PDS families as possible on Friday from 11-12 at our end of the year parade. Next week we need to retrieve PDS owned items and give you belongings that remain at school. We want to be safe as we do this, and we have developed a plan.
Dear Parents,
It is unimaginable that two months ago, we were together in our main gym, watching the student-faculty basketball game and getting ready for spring break. Life has changed so much in the intervening weeks.
Dear PDS families,
As you know, I have been communicating with families on Mondays and Wednesdays during this time of distance learning. In light of Governor Lee’s announcement this past Wednesday regarding schools remaining closed in Tennessee and President Trump’s announcement yesterday about reopening the country, I wanted to provide the following information to you today.
Dear PDS parents,
Thank you for the love and patience you have shown during this unique time. We have been working at PDS over the past several days as we ready the school for the start of distance learning. I hope this letter will answer many of the questions you might have moving forward.
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your patience as PDS continues to monitor the spread of COVID–19 around the world and here in our community. As of this writing, many schools in our area have decided to close to help slow down the spread of the virus. Given all of the information at hand, PDS will not open as expected on Monday, March 16.
Dear PDS families,
We are continuing to monitor the spread of COVID–19, and today I am writing to you with more information regarding the response that PDS is taking. About 10 days ago I asked our school nurse, Alice Ball (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), to look closely at the virus to learn as much as possible regarding the science surrounding the spread and containment of the disease. Nurse Ball has become very knowledgeable and stands ready to answer your questions.
PDS belongs to both regional and national associations of independent schools. Both organizations have been giving schools guidance, and I want to share that information with you.
Dear Parents,
As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) takes hold in more and more places around the world, I want to let you know that PDS is monitoring the situation very closely. Many resources have been made available to our school, and we are utilizing all information to help us make plans. Last night the National Association of Independent Schools held a special webinar to help schools understand and plan.
Presbyterian Day School (PDS) is a private, Christian preschool and elementary school serving 500 boys from 2-years-old through 6th grade.
With our mission of striving to glorify God by developing boys in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man, we take a holistic approach to education, nurturing the heart, soul, mind, and body of each boy.